Source: E-pao.netIn a bid to create a mass awareness, a campaign for the endangered Sangai, Manipur Brow Antlered Deer was held on Saturday at the Manipur Sangai Festival in Imphal. This public awareness campaign is a joint initiative by the North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER) and the Youth Street News (YSN) in association with the Forest Department, Govt. of Manipur.

Over the time, Sangai, also known as the dancing deer of Manipur, has become an endangered species and is on the verge of extinction. Sangai is also an endemic species, meaning restricted to a certain place, in the case of Sangai, it is Keibul Lamjao, Manipur. It is very unfortunate that only about 200 of them are left in the wild. The decrease in the population of this rare species is due to extensive human activities like hunting, poaching and habited destruction among others.

This public awareness programme on Sangai will surely highlight the above hardships in the conservation of Manipur Eld's deer.

Asserting his view, Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, Managing Trustee, NECEER, said: "Carrying forth NECEER's National Save Sangai Campaign started in 2008, NECEER joined hands with YSN in organising this campaign to create mass impact on saving Sangai with the support of Manipur Forest Department. We have been also organising Worldwide Save Loktak Lake Campaign 2010-2020 since 2010 in order to conserve the wetland as well as the Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is part of the lake and also the last refuge of the critically endangered Sangai."

"The basic motive behind this campaign is to awaken public conscience in the conservation of Sangai, the pride of Manipur. As we can't afford to lose our pride, we need to save Sangai and its habitat Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating park in the world," cited Mehnaz Nasreen, Founder, Youth Street News and Managing Trustee, Youth Street Foundation.

Let's help ensure the future of Sangai and Keibul Lamnjao National Park. Poster.

Source: WCS.orgOne year ago, Vietnam lost its last known rhino. Now, it could be on its way to losing its gaur, its gibbons, and its pangolins, too.

In the city of Da Lat, Vietnamese enforcement teams raided a series of restaurants and seized entire or partial specimens of wild pig, porcupine, sambar deer, mouse deer, bamboo rats, snakes, civets, and pangolin. All are considered illegal to hunt and sell. It was just the latest action by the Lam Dong Forest Protection Department (FPD) in an ongoing effort to crack down on wildlife crimes within Vietnam’s borders.

“We applaud the efforts of the Lam Dong Forest Protection Department to stop the illegal sale of wildlife, but the impact of these seizures to stop wildlife criminals in Da Lat is limited by the lack of effective punishment,” said Dr. Scott Roberton, of WCS-Vietnam. “We urge the authorities to revoke business licenses for any repeat offenders. This will ensure that the risk of serving wildlife outweighs the potential profit.”

Mr. Vo Giang Tuyen, Vice-head of Lam Dong Forest Protection Department, sent a clear warning. “Da Lat does not tolerate anyone selling wildlife illegally,” he said. “A two-strike rule for restaurants would send the right message. If the provincial authorities won’t close these restaurants down, FPD will have to keep checking and issuing fines until they stop serving wildlife illegally, which takes a significant amount of both human and financial resources.”

In recent years, Vietnam has made a number of large wildlife seizures, but relatively few criminals in these cases have received strict punishments and almost none have been given the maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment. For instance, the biggest offender ensnared in August’s raid—Tu Loan Restaurant and Zoo—is still under investigation by police and prosecutors. The restaurant has since reopened and is once again selling illegal wildlife to customers.